Civils

Changes to plans for Hinkley Point C could face new planning hurdles, it has emerged. A Somerset Council report indicated that amendments to the nuclear project’s development consent order (DCO) were expected to be put through a rigorous process next year. Project backer EDF launched its own consultation in January…

A project to build the Sizewell C nuclear power plant has taken a significant step forward – although it has yet to be granted formal permission to begin construction. The £20bn Suffolk project has been granted a nuclear site licence, meaning a nuclear power plant can be built on the…

The government is set to unlock construction of the rail tunnel to HS2’s Euston station by providing taxpayer cash upfront and trying to recoup money from businesses and passengers later, according to reports. The 4.5 mile tunnel is set to get the go-ahead in coming weeks, with more than £1bn…

Cumbrian firm Stobbarts has won a £40m infrastructure deal at Sellafield nuclear power station. The Workington firm will support Sir Robert McAlpine on groundworks and concrete jobs at the sprawling Cumbrian plant. The contractor was appointed by Sellafield’s Programme and Project Partners (PPP), a coalition of Kellogg Brown and Root,…

Devolving major infrastructure planning decisions to local authorities would speed up delivery, experts told MPs this week. A Parliamentary Transport Committee hearing on Wednesday (1 May) heard that the current system, where major infrastructure projects need consent from central government, is slowing down development where it is needed most. “We…

Construction can now go ahead on a Balfour Beatty road scheme worth at least £228m near Manchester after objectors withdrew their legal challenge. Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) had sought a judicial review into the A57 Link Roads project, which will create two roads near the village of Mottram,…

A group of local authorities is looking for contractors for £800m of roads-related construction work. Central Bedfordshire Council published a formal procurement notice for the Eastern Highways Alliance Framework 4. The deal will cover structural, surfacing, road and capital projects across 11 local authority areas. Work going through the framework…

A £1.49bn project to develop the A66 has hit another stumbling block in the form of a legal challenge. The A66 Northern Trans-Pennine project received development consent last month. The project would see a 50km section of road upgraded to dual carriageway. But during a legal challenge period that ended…

Some water companies risk missing legally binding deadlines after falling behind on their infrastructure targets, the head of England’s environment regulator has warned. Certain firms were “significantly behind” on work in the current AMP7 five-year capital programme, which runs from 2020-2025, Environment Agency chief executive Philip Duffy told the Environmental…

Liverpool City Council has put contractors on alert for £850m in planned highways work. The authority has launched a pre-market engagement exercise to glean feedback on its proposed framework. The framework is expected to be in place from late January 2025 and run for up to four years. A maximum…